


Day 10 - Fight or Flight

by moonblossom



Series: Pre-Nickels Nickels 30 Day Challenge [10]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternative family dynamics, Fights, M/M, Sidewinder House
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 16:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2435144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonblossom/pseuds/moonblossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They all fight, all give as good as they get. Why does it hurt so much more when it's Nick shouting?</p>
<p>
  <a href="http://wintergrey.dreamwidth.org/15168.html">Day 10: Apologies</a>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 10 - Fight or Flight

**Author's Note:**

> Minor warning: brief mention of Nick's childhood abuse, accidentally hurtful jokes.

Kelly couldn't even remember what had started the fight. Something to do with laundry, or some other household chore, probably. Fights that involved all six of them were rare but they usually escalated rapidly. Someone would bring up a complaint and eventually nearly all of them would end up screaming and throwing things. Nick and Kelly were generally the quietest and the most easy-going, doing what they could to defuse the rest of them, but somehow this time Nick has got sucked up into the maelstrom too.

Usually it was over almost as quickly as it had started, but for some reason today the fight just refused to die down. The tension simmering just under everyone's skin as they awaited their next set of orders needed an outlet, and apparently that outlet was each other. And the kitchen cabinet doors. And the washing machine. Kelly cringed as Ty slammed the metal door on it so hard he felt his teeth vibrate.

Normally, these fights didn't hurt. They'd all build up to a head, let it out, and it would be over as quickly as it had started. But somehow, in the confusion, Nick had shouted at Kelly telling him to shut up, and something about that was incredibly painful. Nick was usually the calm voice of reason, and seeing him lash out wounded Kelly to the core.

Before saying something he knew he'd regret, Kelly slipped out of the kitchen and headed through the house. He sat down on the front steps, closed the door behind him, and stared off into the distance.

A few minutes later, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, contact he'd recognise anywhere. He looked up at Nick, who looked harried and almost sick.

"Kels, I'm sorry. It's not you, it's never you."

Kelly smiled weakly. "No, it's usually Ty."

Nick snorted out a laugh and lowered himself heavily onto the stairs next to Kelly. He stretched his long legs out, rubbing his shoulder against Kelly's.

"We good, Doc?"

"We good." Kelly nodded, feeling the weight of earlier lifting off his shoulders.

Behind them, the door burst open. Strains of the argument carried out into the yard; Ty cursing in Farsi, Eli screaming in Spanish, Digger still speaking English but so angry that it was all swallowed up by his accent. Kelly cringed slightly as Owen kicked his way out the door and dropped onto the porch next to them.

"I hate it when Mom and Dad fight," Owen muttered, shoving the door shut behind him. He hadn't meant anything by it, he was only trying to make light of the situation, but something about the comment stung Kelly.

He glanced sidelong at Nick, whose mouth was set in a tight, hard line. Kelly grabbed Nick's knee, stroking his leg soothingly. He turned to Kelly and smiled sadly.

Owen frowned. "Sorry, guys. I..." His face fell as he realised how much his joke must have hurt the orphan and the bruised, broken boy hiding deep inside of Kelly and Nick.

Nick shook his head. "No harm, no foul. It was kind of funny, honestly. And you know Eli would look fantastic in pearls and a frilly apron, pulling a meatloaf out of the oven." 

Owen snorted, half amusement and half relief. Kelly found himself laughing too, and Nick chuckled quietly as he threw an arm around Kelly's shoulder. Kelly leaned into him and Owen patted them both on the head before pushing himself up off the porch and going back inside.

"I should go make sure nobody in there is doing violence to anyone else. Why can't they be more like you two?"

Kelly smiled, but it still felt a bit forced. Once the two of them were alone again, he let his head fall onto Nick's shoulder. Nick squeezed him tightly, rubbing his hand soothingly over Kelly's bicep. The contact was comforting, brushing away all the pain of the fight.

"It'll die down sooner or later," Kelly said, his words laced with hope. Nick didn't say anything for a moment, but he nodded and then spoke up.

"They just need to get that shit out of their systems."

Kelly chuckled drily. "Either that or we all need to go blow something up."

"You're not right in the head, you know that?" Nick thumped Kelly playfully in the chest. "You're supposed to talk us out of property damage, not encourage it."

"Fuck that," Kelly laughed, the tension of the fight finally dissipating completely. "I don't care what you guys blow up, so long as it's not your own asses."

There was a bit of a scuffle behind them, and Kelly turned to see Owen herding Eli, Digger and Ty out onto the porch. The three of them were hanging their heads, looking like boys who'd thrown a baseball through a window.

Nick stood and put his hands up before anyone could speak. His quiet, steady calm in situations like this never failed to make Kelly feel safe and protected. He was still sitting on the stair, looking up at Nick. Absently, Nick ran his fingers through Kelly's hair, as if he were grounding himself before talking.

"Everyone shut up. We all said dumb shit, and it's over. Okay?"

Everyone nodded. They all knew it was only a matter of time before the next explosion, but for now there was no point in dwelling on any of it.


End file.
